The Windchild - Hardcover

Grade K-4-- Christina Rossetti's ``Who Has Seen the Wind?'' is an epigraph that sets the stage for this fanciful story. A boy accidentally wounds the sleeping Thea with his arrow and as a result the village of Finn is left without its life force--the wind. With the help of an old woman who recognizes the windchild from a previous visit, Thea recovers, enjoys playing with the boy and his sister, and then returns home, bringing the much needed rain. Cause-and-effect parallels are creatively interwoven with the fairy-tale motif. The watercolor illustrations are filled with colorful, pastoral details of villagers, fabric patterns, flowers, and animals, creating a cozy ambiance. The book's jacket suggests the paintings ``recall the art of the Flemish renaissance,'' but they are certainly warm and inviting to today's readers. An imaginative and touching tale, just right for a hot summer's day. --Marianne Pilla, formerly at Upper Dublin Public Library, Dresher, PA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.